Pompey Dockyard

Discussion in 'WW2 Museums. Events, & places to see.' started by von Poop, Mar 11, 2011.

  1. DPas

    DPas Member

    Thanks A. Definitely on the "To visit" list.
     
  2. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Talk about having a senior moment :(

    I was just about to post my only Pompey joke on this thread when I happened to scroll back and saw that I had already told it on Comment #13 !

    I still think it's funny. ;)

    Ron
     
  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Hello, sailor!

    I hope it lives up to the hype - I've got a couple of days down here! The better half has agreed to it on the basis that I will move more quickly through Naval museums than military ones. Hmmm...

    It's a bright day so will probably hit the ships today and keep the museums in reserve in case it turns. Pity that the Mary Rose is on a shutdown, but they still do the yearly tickets.
     
  4. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Go on, be outraged at Victory's authentic new paint scheme, before grudgingly conceding that it actually looks rather good.
    That seems to be the form...
     
  5. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Napoleonic dazzle?

    Done that. Just spent an hour not looking at the Mary Rose, now trying to knock off M33 in the last hour. Then argue about tomorrow's itinerary...
     
  6. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Facebook has reminded me that it's Trafalgar Day again. After a motorcycle club trip there, the dockyard publicity people sent photos to lots of local papers. It was quite a shock to find a photo on the front page in the newsagents.

    Victory.jpg
     
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  7. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Not as big a shock as page 3, I'll bet...

    Gosh, was our trip 5 years ago? We actually went back on the last weekend of the ticket validity and the Royal Marines' Museum. after brunch in Southsea Castle, we hit the now-open Mary Rose museum. Spent about 4.5 hours threading my way through there, and I was skimming a lot in the later stages as the old brain had been overloaded. We actually caught 'visually-impaired' morning, i.e. they have the room lights on. It is very gallery-like but with three floors of stuff plus the ship you won't feel shortchanged, unlike, say, the RN Museum which has so much to cover it hasn't got a chance to be anything other than odd exhibits with overdone social commentary.

    The RM Museum was a bit more traditional but again suffered from the scope and scale of their doings. Managed to get a few of the RM Historical Society books, at least one of which appeared to be the last copy. The next week it closed and went into storage with the intention of being relocated into the dockyard. Hopefully they will do it justice .

    On the way home, we did The Keep in Dorchester. That's well worth a visit.

    Currently pondering another visit to go and see LCT 7074 then, maybe, some of the other regimental museums down that way.
     
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  8. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    I enjoyed the Keep too. And you know the Tank Museum is in between :D. Have you been to the submarine museum? Even just seeing the Alliance is well worth it.
     
  9. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    HMS Queen Elizabeth & HMS Prince of Wales from HMS Victory's Wardroom.

    Queen Elizabeth.jpg

    HMS Prince of Wales.jpg
     
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  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

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  11. RAFCommands

    RAFCommands Senior Member

    I was involved with the Consultant Engineers called in after the York Minister fire.

    Greatest problem faced on the day after the fire was that any known oak tree with the girth to be a replacement for the roof beams was subject to preservation orders. Smaller timbers could be salvaged or reformed by paring down exterior damage if possible.

    The extent of the problem.
    https://yorkminster.org/app/uploads/2024/02/03.jpg

    Within a day the problem was solved by numerous offers from private managed woods that had suitable trees without attached preservation orders.

    Suppose the French oak for Victory is a better news bite than home grown for York.

    Ross
     
  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Got lucky on last year's trip to the Dockyard.
    (Which, I now think, is probably the best value 'Heritage' ticket in the UK if you get the all access year pass thingy).

    While up in the scaffolded area of Victory peering at the manky wood and discussing among family, the chap in charge of the restoration stopped for a chat.
    What they're doing is incredible.
    The hydraulic jacks that self-adjust depending where visitor's weight is concentrated are impressive enough, but he talked of swathes of the massively thick side timbers just being 'mud' through the entire thickness, scoopable by hand.
    He reckoned a very fair chance of losing her had they not dug in more deeply. Much worse than expected.

    As long as it's the right sort of wood, I'm just glad it's getting done, and to a remarkable standard.
    I've scarfed in a lot of repairs on benches, window frames etc., but those chaps astonish me doing broadly similar, but on such a huge scale.

    A great time to visit her at the moment.
    No tours, just lovely free access to almost every bit that's not actively being worked on, with some solid volunteers stationed about to discuss mopping up blood and aerial splinters with.
     
  13. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Just been reading on captured ships serving with the roughly Trafalgar period Navy.
    1799 - c.646 ships in total.
    C.268 'Formerly French'.

    Only four of the twenty-odd French and Spanish vessels captured at Trafalgar made it here intact, but given the wrecking and scuttling carried out, and battle damage to Nelson's ships - I imagine he wouldn't have been that surprised at good French timbers for repair.

    So... Y'know... Swings and roundabouts.

    I'd like to see the cost of oak suitable for C18th ship restoration.
    It's eye-watering enough buying two planks for a window frame these days. :unsure:
     
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